As time marched through March the stalks continued to dry out.  Finally they are cut by hand and brought home so the stalks can be used for animal feed and the hardened maize kernels are separated from the cobs by hand-grinding.  The kernels are bagged up or loaded in 20 litre buckets and taken to a local mill for grinding into flour, called maize meal or mealie meal and stored in 50kg grain sacks in people’s homes.

Most people in our area also save a large number of kernel as seed for the next planting season.  When the maize meal is cooked with water in a pot, usually over a wood fire, is transforms into a dish called ‘papa’ and it is the staple food of Lesotho.    What can I say about papa?    In my previous blogs I had commented somewhat negatively on the fact that for many papa is not only a staple food, it can be the only food people eat all day. Even so when as part of a nutrition class I asked students what foods they liked they all immediately said with enthusiasm, “papa!” “Don’t you eat papa every day?” I asked “yes, we like papa” was the average reply.

I was a bit shocked when I had my first Basotho evening meal and everyone was served a pile of papa equal to about 3 of my fists and they downed it!  I politely ate a bit and shared the rest, which they accepted with enthusiasm.  Well those days are gone, thanks to Ska Mirriam Moteane’s book I am finally cooking papa to addictive perfection, delicate and dumpling-like with a hint of corn.  Mmmm, my papa addiction is growing.  At a recent community meeting I was shocked to find that like everyone else in the room I ate the entire mound of papa that was served to me,  I guess I am now finally culturally integrated.

One of the dangers of papa is that it will fill you with almost empty carbohydrates.  Fortunately it is often served with moroho (greens, like collard greens a bit bitter unless cooked slowly with seasoning) and sautéed with onions (and occasionally peppers) in oil, with a bit of water and salt.  Occasionally a family will serve papa with beans or on a special occasion, papa with greens and meat.

The Primary Schools provide a free nutritious meal and often include papa to which they add milk, beans or eggs in order to provide a protein component.

So here’s to maize, classified as a vegetable when fresh and as a grain when dried, and to “papa” that ubiquitous food.  From field to table to field, feeding a nation.

Maggie

An entire day was spent doing the packing by 8 of us, needless to say after we had finished we were all a little pooped. Further donations on clothing have since been flowing in at a steady pace and we will have to have another packing day soon I am sure!

The 19th April was the date for the first redistribution to Lesotho for the year. Leaving Johannesburg at 12h30 on Friday afternoon, we travelled in a 4 strong convoy, 3 landy’s and Toyota Fortuner (In Ryan’s words, “there is always one”). Arriving in Lesotho with very few stops and an extremely easy border crossing some 5 hours later. We enjoyed a very social evening at the Maliba Mountain Lodge’s restaurant. I had special surprise from everyone, they had organised an awesome birthday cake and everyone to sing happy birthday to me…thanks guys that was too cool!! It has to be said that Lesotho is breath-taking, its exactly what you would expect to see, lots of people on donkeys/horses wrapped up warm in blankets and the snow-crested mountains in the distance. Arriving at Maliba Lodge just after dark we had no idea the amazing setting that the lodge was situated in, this view would have to be soaked up the following morning.

The temperature was in single figures and we were all hoping for snow as well. This would be our families first experience ever in snow and we were all for snow as well as extremely excited about the Hand Me Down project! The 19th April was actually my birthday and this year instead of having a massive party we went on a distribution for the Hand me Down project instead. So instead of getting presents for my birthday, this year I was giving for my birthday which made it even more special.

We all woke a little later than we normally would have, some blamed the Maluti, I put it down to the tranquility of the raging river only a few meters away from our window. We scoffed down some breakfast and headed up to the main lodge to make all the arrangements with Peter and Alwyn at Maliba Lodge for the days distribution. After all the bits and pieces had been sorted out we jumped into the 4×4′s and headed to the Ha Mohale community center. Not very far from the lodge we turned off the tar and headed up the mountain. Well, when i say headed up the mountain, we did this at a very steady pace, thick mud, bogged us down and the going was … AWESOME! I would guess that the entire distance from the tar to the community centre was no more than 3-4kms, but don’t let this fool you on how long it takes to drive on very slippery, very muddy dirt tracks and while doing it all in rainy conditions. We took in the region of 4 hours to get to the community centre, followed all the way up the mountain by happy cheerful and very excited children who would be receiving clothing from the project. While the clothing is distributed at no cost to the community, Hand Me Down does things a little differently: Clothing is not given, it’s exchanged for litter, the idea is brilliant, trash for clothing, it’s a small idea that makes a huge difference to not only those receiving clothing but to the people and the community as a whole.

Continue to the full article by Roland Rau on the SA Adventures blog…..

In the heart of the Lesotho Highlands lies the Maluti Mountains, some of the best terrain for high altitude running in the world.

Serving as the “veins” of this region, an intricate network of trails exists along the valleys and mountain flanks, connecting many of the remote villages. Used primarily by livestock and shepherds, many of the mountain passes have been established by hand, allowing people and animals to pass through the Maluti Mountain Range on foot.

It is this ancient philosophy of man’s primal need to explore and conquer his surrounding terrain that has lead to the development of the Lesotho Ultra Trail, Africa’s first Ultra Skymarathon®.

What is Skyrunning?

• Skyrunning – The discipline of mountain running up to or exceeding 2000m, where the incline exceeds 30% and where the climbing difficulty does not exceed 11° grade.
• Skymarathon® – Races within a minimum of 2000m total elevation gain and between 30km to 42km in distance. The course may be over paths, trails, rock etc (a limit of <15% on paved or tarred surfaces) and may reach or exceed 3500m.

The Lesotho Ultra Trail is proudly hosted by Maliba Mountain Lodge in the heart of the Ts’ehlanyane National Park. This region of the Maluti Mountains forms part of the Lesotho Highlands and presents a world class Skyrunning terrain with a collection of high altitude mountain passes and live stock trails.

Limited Places Available – Enter Now!

Ingredients:

Mousse

• 800g    Wild Alaskan Salmon (smoked)
• 250g    Mascarpone Cheese
• 180g    Fresh Cream (whipped stiff)
• 20g    Fresh Dill (Chopped)
• 20g    Gelatin
• 50ml    Apple Juice
•  Juice of 3 Lemons
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Vinaigrette:

• 30ml Lemon Juice
• 60ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 10ml Honey
• Organic Green Leaves and Herbs
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Grease and dip in cold water 12 small sized dariole moulds. Set aside.
2. Hydrate the gelatin in the apple juice in a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Disperse gently over hot water.
3. Flake the smoked Salmon and blitz further in a food processor together with the dill and lemon juice until it’s all of a fine texture. Add mascarpone and blitz until well combined. Transfer to a medium sized metal bowl. Add gelatin.
4. Fold stiffly whipped cream into Salmon mixture and add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Divide the mixture amongst the 12 moulds and bang lightly against a counter top to release any air bubbles trapped inside. Level off the tops and cover. Set in a refrigerator for 12 hours before serving.
6. For the vinaigrette; pour honey and Lemon juice into a medium sized bottle with a lid and shake well. Add the olive oil and seasoning and shake to combine.
7. Toss the green leaves and herbs in the vinaigrette until just lightly coated and set attractively on a plate. Unmould mousse slightly on top of the herb salad and garnish with cherry tomatoes, shredded lemon rind and fresh dill leaves.

On a two-day tour to the Mountain Kingdom of Lesotho before presenting his credentials to His Majesty King Letsie III, Mr Wilson met with local partner organisations and AVID volunteers. He was accompanied by his wife and the First Secretary.

In September 2012, Kick4Life, with the support of the AVID program, was awarded $10,000 in funding through AVI’s Community Grant Scheme for a training initiative. Funded through the support of the Planet Wheeler Foundation, Kick4Life received $10,000 to establish a restaurant and Orphans and Vulnerable Children catering training school.

The facility is aimed at servicing the community not only through acting as a venue restaurant, but also through an on and off site catering service that works in partnership with other workshop and facilities rental services available at Kick4Life.

The catering training school is targeted at underprivileged Basotho youth participants to equip them with hard transferable skills in order to increase their employability in the community upon graduation of the training program.  The facility is also aimed at providing an educational service teaching local youth healthy and nutritious eating habits, with much of the ingredients used in the kitchen to be sourced from the on-site vegetable garden.

Kick4Life Director, Curtis Gardner and AVID volunteer, Edwin Yau were delighted to welcome HE Mr Graeme Wilson, his wife and the First Secretary at the office and discuss new training activities.

“We had a fruitful discussion about Kick4Life history and present activities, the Australian High Commission’s activities in Southern Africa and how we could benefit from Australian funded programs. It was great to receive the CGS funding from AVI, but also humbling to have the High Commissioner himself visit us,” Mr Gardner said.

After the visit to Kick4Life, volunteers in Lesotho were invited to have dinner with the Australian High Commissioner. He spent time understanding their roles in Lesotho. He presented a cake to one of the volunteers, Belinda Johnson who was celebrating her birthday on the day.

AVI has worked with partner organisations in Lesotho since 1975. Currently, AVI supports 15 AVID volunteers working with a range of local partner organisations in Lesotho. The assignments include support of local NGOs and Lesotho government in food security and agriculture, good governance, climate change, and disability.

Written by Justice Kalebe, AVI Program Officer (South Africa and Lesotho)

AusAID is working in partnership with Australian Volunteers International to deliver the AVID program, an Australian Government, AusAID initiative.

A big thank you to Yvonne and Hendrik for sending us this image. The happy couple have won themselves a Maliba Mountain Lodge peak caps which we will be sending them shortly and entry into the grand prize (a weekend for 2 compliments of Maliba Mountain Lodge).

All our monthly photo contest winners will be put forward for the grand prize of a “weekend for 2 at Maliba Mountain Lodge”. So get your photo’s in to us for a chance to win.

Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC.

1. Grease your little ramekins - which shouldn’t be much bigger than the size of a muffin – with butter.
2.  Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof container and place over a bowl of simmering water, making sure the container doesn’t touch the water. Once melted, stir till smooth.
3.  Allow the chocolate to cool slightly. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk till light and fluffy.
4. Fold in the chocolate mixture and sift in the flour. Fold in gently.
5.  Divide the mixture equally between the ramekins and place in the oven for 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for two minutes.
7.  Invert the puddings onto plates and carefully remove the ramekins.
8.  Serve immediately with a dollop of cream

Bon appétit

From Tsepho (Maliba Executive Chef)

Towards the end of the year, our massage therapists will be able to boast about a 2 bed spa facility tucked neatly in the Che Che trees and situated on one of our streams near the main lodge. Massage treatments can then be enjoyed from the room or at our spa. A variety of treatments will be added to ensure guests have a range of options for total relaxation in the mountains. 

The Maliba Bana club has been met with enthusiasm from our children as Adel, the Bana Leader, ensures a fun and educational visit spent in and around the lodge.

The beginning of March was an exciting and slightly nerve racking adventure for the marketing manager, Nicola. The aim was a 4 day ‘recce’ pony trip into the Maluti mountains to find remote villages for overnight community pony trails. Armed with 7 horses  and a very outdated google map, she set off with 4 explorers along cattle paths in search of remote communities. Thin trails took them along steep cliffs, crystal clear streams and spectacular scenery.

After a freezing night camping at 3000 metres, they eventually found a small village nestled in the valley and were warmly welcomed by the chief and his community.

The end result was an amazing experience, a new level of respect for Basotho ponies and a beautiful village that will welcome any visitors to share in its beauty and culture. We will be fine tuning this adventurous option and will let you know once it is ready.

Maliba Community Development Trust has the pleasure of welcoming our first medical team from Australia, Jo and Carly. They will be based at Maliba while they spend a few weeks at St Dennis Clinic, a local medical facility that services the area. Their aim is to assist in the outreach projects and skills development for local nurses involved. Usually, the Trust sponsors a work programme for local schools and experienced teachers are flown in from Australia to help with the tuition and improve the skills of the local teachers. This is the first year to have health volunteers – a big welcome to you both!

Created by well-known KZN race organiser Andrew Booth, the 68km race will traverse mountainous, rocky trails combining steep ascents, descents, some contour running and loads of single track, will be hosted by Maliba Mountain Lodge, just one hour south from the Free State town of Clarens.

Sanctioned by the South African Skyrunning Association (SASA), the event will be recognised by the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) as Africa’s first Ultra Skymarathon®, earning it the potential of being placed in the global circuit of ultras on the international trail calendar.

Defined as mountain running up to or exceeding 2 000m, where the incline exceeds 30% and where the climbing difficulty is not more than 11˚ gradient, the sport of skyrunning has taken the trail running world by storm in Europe, America and Asia over the past 20 years.

Skyrunning, a term coined by the ISF, is a discipline conceived by Italian mountaineer Marino Giacometti who, with a handful of fellow climbers during the early1990s, pioneered records and races on Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa in the Italian Alps. In 1993, sponsored by Fila, skyrunning took off across the world’s mountain ranges with a circuit of challenging races spread from the Himalayas to the Rockies, from Mount Kenya to the Mexican volcanoes.

Giacometti’s term skyrunning is, as the name suggests, where earth and sky meet.

Today, skyrunning has grown to span some 200 races worldwide, with about 30 000 participants from 54 countries.

Formed in 2011, SASA is an associate member of the ISF, and aims to promote and facilitate the growth of skyrunning in South Africa.

“The Lesotho Ultra Trail is the ideal event to pioneer the way forward for skyrunning in southern Africa,” said SASA chairman James Hallett.

“Not only does the location and route of the race represent the philosophy of skyrunning, but we have no doubt that it will the race be of a world class calibre. Offering spectacular terrain, incredible high altitude vistas and a 5-star host venue, we are extremely excited about the prospects of the Lesotho Ultra Trail.”

Hallett is confident that the Lesotho Ultra Trail will be incorporated into the ISF World Ultra Series, a new addition to the Federation’s global series offering.

“Following the inaugural running of the race in November, we will submit our recommendation and application to the ISF for possible consideration into the 2014 series. If successful, this will put South Africa into the world skyrunning arena, further exposing our country to top international athletes.

Booth said he believed there to be a great synergy between the race, its location and the development of skyrunning in South Africa.

“The Maluti Mountains offer some of the best terrain for high altitude running in the world. To be able to stage what is sure to become a world class event in this region is very special, and we look forward to playing a role in the pioneering of skyrunning in southern Africa.”

He added that the event’s partnership with Maliba Mountain Lodge as host for the race added an extra angle of quality to the event.

Hallett added that as the first official skyrunning event in southern Africa, the Lesotho Ultra Trail will also help facilitate the creation of a national circuit of skyrunning events.

“The Lesotho highlands and the regions of South Africa surrounding Lesotho are prime skyrunning regions, and we will be working with other race organisers in this area and around South Africa to develop the opportunities that present themselves there,” concluded Hallett.

A big thank you to Dean for sending us this image. Dean has won himself a Maliba Mountain Lodge peak cap which we will be sending to him shortly and entry into the grand prize (a weekend for 2 compliments of Maliba Mountain Lodge).

All our monthly photo contest winners will be put forward for the grand prize of a “weekend for 2 at Maliba Mountain Lodge”. So get your photo’s in to us for a chance to win.